School Nurse Sheila Caldwell is a member of the New Jersey State School Nurses Association and National Association of School Nurse in the US.
What would most people be surprised about being a School Nurse?
The number of children and conditions we deal with. One day you could have 10 children come to you with a lot of respiratory conditions or it could be a slower day where you're just doing health screenings that have to be done. You never know when an emergency is going to take place.
Are you prepared?
As the School Nurse you have to be ready and prepared to address anything. As a school nurse, you’re the counselor, you’re the mother you’re a mentor. You're a little bit of everything for that student.
How important is student health?
A student must be healthy to be educated. If you can, bring in those healthy choices and healthy habits into their lives. Have their families make the adjustments and you're ahead of the game.
What’s the best part of being a School Nurse?
Going to work every day and seeing those children. They smile at you and you smile with them. That's like, hey, you know they appreciate me, they respect me. They understand I’m here for them.
How do you help the students?
It's all about guidance and steering them in the right direction. Helping people has really meant a lot to me
When did you know you wanted to become a School Nurse?
Since I was a little girl. I knew this from about fifth or sixth grade that I wanted to become a nurse. That's what I was meant to be. I was meant to be a nurse. I'm a wife, I'm a mother, I am a mentor and I love being a School Nurse.
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Would you like to share a day in your life as a School Nurse?
How do you go about helping improve the health and wellbeing of students? What’s your biggest challenge? What support do you need to do a better job as a School Nurse?
At Student First Aid we recognise and celebrate the good work of School Nurses. Each month we interview a dedicated School Nurse.
If you’re interested, please email help@studentfirstaid.com.au to arrange a quick and easy phone interview.